The Enchanting Batis Aramin.

It was almost 2:00pm, I was in front seat of the van. It was hot inside and I was perspiring. My back was soaked with sweat and I was worried that I might get sick. We were traversing the South Expressway, when our boss sent a message in my cellphone that we need to stopped by the first gasoline station after Alabang. 

Three cars in a convoy and some of us have not taken their lunch yet. Since we will be spending travel time of almost 5 hours before we reach Lucban, Quezon, it was a good idea to gobble some burgers. I was right, my blouse was wet so I headed to the comfort room and with the help of an officemate who happen to follow me, dried my blouse on the blowdryer. 

It was my first time to go to Lucban. We have been planning this event for a couple of weeks already and we were all looking forward to a refreshing team building activity. The destination was BATIS ARAMIN Resort and Hotel.

After our quick stop, we begun our journey...lo and behold! The weather became favorable and the aircon of the vehicle was getting colder. My back was dry and I was enjoying the sight... traffic, sun, rain, sun again, lots of trees, rice fields, cows, carabaos, crows, tricycles, cars, bus, people, old, young, gasoline station, cr, plants, zigzag roads, Calamba, Pansol, Los Banos, Bay, Pila, Sta. Cruz, Pagsanjan, Cavanti, Luisiana... and its getting darker... and atlast we reach LUCBAN. I saw the statue of the Kamay ni Hesus on top of the mountain and smelt the fresh air.     

We passed by some joggers and were awed by the beauty of the mount Banahaw.

 We were exhausted but happy when we reached Batis Aramin. 

We were billeted in Anahaw Room. It was a fully air conditioned room with 2 queen size beds, 6 double decks, 2 bathrooms and a 32 inch flat TV with cable. It was well lit, clean and comfortable. 

The swimming polls were of different shapes, sizes and depths. But what I like the most, the place has lots of trees. It gives us the needed shelter and protection from the sun rays. 

They said that the water was cold but some of us were able to enjoy the night swimming while the others were belting out their favorite songs.

After breakfast we went around and we saw the hanging bridge, restaurants, reception halls, souvenir shops and ...the adventure camp... we tried the zipline, wall climbing and rappel.

After which we rest at the mountain overlooking the 

Mount Banahaw then back to our room.

The adventure was fun, exhilarating and it was what we needed. 

All of us had a good time... our next stop was Kamay ni Hesus.

Dencio's at Capitol Hills, Quezon City

I was flattered when my hubby brought us ( the kids and I) to Dencio's in Capitol Hills, Quezon City. It's a restaurant at the top of a building where you can watch the setting of the sun. Its a hilly place overlooking some portion of Metro Manila and a golf course.  The surroundings sparkled in the evening which added loving mood to the venue.

The ambiance was supposed to be nice, cool and romantic but I was worried that my very active children might fall down the open space where some people were more likely to drink than to dine. So we opted for the non-smoking secluded and secured area .

We ordered for a sizzling mushroom (Janjan's favorite) and chicken but it was not savory. It was not exceptional. I cannot appreciated its flavor.

I also find the staff unorganized. We waited for the food longer than was expected. And as we leave the adorable site, there were messy tables in the open and smoking area. It must be that the restaurant was under staff on that day.

A visit to Crab N' Crew Restobar.

My daughter's teacher in her Cooking class is one of the Chefs of Crab n' Crew Restobar in Visayas Ave. Quezon City. I cannot reject her plea as she bombard me with her request to try and visit it. 

So, one late rainy afternoon we dropped in on the site. It was a small place with unpainted walls but with picture frames of different people including the cooking teacher/chef, who happens to be a look-a-like of her Tito Glen, my husband's brother.

It was homey, casual and comfortable, except for its heavy metal chairs. Neat and tidy too! Unpainted walls usually disturb my daughter but theirs had some wood that made it look like a peaceful cabin near the beach. It emphasized their theme about crabs.

We were given a free appetizer - roasted corn, as we waited for the food to be served. A very unusual and unique gestures of the management.

For our order, my husband and I had Tinapasta and my daughter had her Fish Fillet with Pesto Sauce and Garlic Rice. The former was oil based pasta with Tinapa as one of the main ingredients of the sauce. The taste was good and the noodles were al dente. I tasted the latter, tried a spoonful of the fish fillet and it was delicious. It had soft and fine textures and I could tell that it was fresh. 

We also had a different kind of Leche Flan for dessert, with  sweet whipped cream and cherry on top. The taste was rich, creamy and the texture was smooth and fine. The custard, whipped cream and the cherry complimented each other. My daughter said that "The whipped cream tasted like ice cream!" She also stated that it was her favorite part of the dessert. "Its taste isn't as pale as its surface. It tasted as pink as the cherry!"

It was a charming visit to the restobar and I thumbs up!

"Lunch Meeting" at Johnny Rockets.

We usually held our meetings at the four corners of our conference room, but not in this particular day. We wanted some variation and so, one lunch time, we went to Johnny Rockets in Tomas Morato, Quezon City, a choice more convenient and a new place to visit.

The diner has an American county ambiance. I was naughtily looking for a cowboy. But, of course, found none. The food ordered was more on meat and so I decided to just share with one of my officemate since I am not into meat and the servings was more than what was expected. 

We ordered for Philly Cheese Steak, Crispy Chicken Club Salad, Chili Dog, a burger which I forgot the name, Original Shakes and the regular cola.  I sink my teeth into the Crispy Chicken Club salad, which I like the most and bite into some burgers. 

The atmosphere was more of the 50's were jukeboxes and a couple of pictures of American celebrity form part of the interior design. It was huge and some folks also had their lunch there.

For their added attraction, we were entertained by their dancing waiters and waitresses to the tune of a lively music. We were informed that the ambiance is more bubbly in the evening where a lot of people frequently visit the place.

It was good "lunch meeting" which broke the monotony of our constant office life. We went back fully satisfied and delighted.

We Love You TIMBERLAND HEIGHTS!

We got crazy over Timberland Height! It was already past 6:00pm when we headed the Batasan Road going to Timberland Sports and Nature Club. We were supposed to be there at 2:00 pm. Hannah, my youngest daughter was already freaking out! We do not know the condition of the road to the mountain, so I told Eric, my husband, to take it slow.

The road was dimly lit when we started the climb and I already got text message from the club staff asking me the time of our arrival. I told her that we're on our way. I had to admit it I was getting a little bit scared... and I know my husband was getting upset... the car was on first gear can't make it to the second gear. And the road was getting difficult and steep.. the children are getting fidgety and nervous too. 

After 10 minutes of grueling mixed emotions and anticipation of unfamiliar sight, we all felt relieved when we saw the huge gate of Timberland and were greeted by the guards and gave us more instructions on our way to the main club. We were still driving down--more like driving up--the road when our worried faces completely shifted to the look of amazement... we were welcomed by the majestic sight of the glittering lights of Metro Manila.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the staff and I said, "Nakakatakot pala pumunta dito." and one of them answered "hindi lang po kayo sanay, Ma'am". They accompanied us to the reception hall and our vacation begun...

Facing the door of the hall was a majestic sight of dazzling radiance of the San Mateo in Rizal,  Metro Manila and of Laguna.

The room we had was clean and enough for the five of us. A cable TV was there and so with packs of complimentary coffee and mineral water on the table.

Food were not allowed and our stomachs began to rumble so we headed to the restaurant and ordered Pork Sinigang and Sizzling Pork Chop with mushroom. For dessert, banana split requested by Hannah and Janjan.

Our activity and images at night...

We had a good night sleep although Hannah Banana had fallen off her bed. The children were glad that we had this break.

At 8:00 am the next morning we had our breakfast and as the stub indicated Filipino Breakfast, we ordered Tosilog and Tapsilog and coffee.

After the meal, the children hurriedly changed for their swimming suits except for Janjan, my eldest, who enjoyed watching the transition of the weather which we fully captured.

We took pleasure watching which part of the metro was raining and sunny. We even saw a captivating sight of the Ortigas and she called it The Modernized Version of King's Landing (for those who watch Game of Throne) because the tall buildings were like castles and the fine yellow effect by the sun and clouds made it look like summer. The buildings were surrounded by small rooftops that she called  Even Messier Flee Bottom.

....and the vacation continued... the children enjoyed the infinity pool and my husband's favorite was the spa, where sauna and steam room were located. He spent most of the time at the jacuzzi.

...and at day.

We had a great time at Timberland. But due to time constraint there were some other activity that we were not able to do but wanted to do so--like rock-climbing and working-out at the gym. The food was great, the service was professional and the staff were accommodating.

We have no regret visiting the scenic place but we suggest that you go there before the setting of the sun. Why not try it? See it for yourself and enjoy!!!

A not appealing experience in Kowloon, West Ave.,Q.C.

We were hungry... yes we were!... my friends and I had a challenging adventure of shopping in Divisoria. Since the food court was full of people, beaming with people actually, we had no choice but to left it  starving, gloomy and grumpy. We were traversing the West Avenue in Quezon City when we spotted the Kowloon Restaurant. 

We ordered for pancit bihon, fried chicken, sweet and sour pork and the sinangag. However, we did not find the experience enticing... it was not our best of luck. The sweet and sour pork was so hard to chew. The taste of what we opted to gobble was not that exceptional too.  It was very uncomfortable eating such food. Each one of us was not satisfied.  It's difficult for me to recommend such place to my friends.

Anniversary Date at Army Navy, Greenhills.

My mother-in-law had a surgery due to brain tumor last January 9, 2013 which coincided with our wedding anniversary. The operation was successful and we visited her afterwards. 

On our way home, we decided to celebrate our anniversary in a very modest way like teenagers dating in a tight budget. We came across the Army Navy in Greenhills and ordered for two of their burger sandwiches. It was crunchy, full of oozing ingredients and fresh...

... it was heavy, flavorful and deliciously cooked. We were full and satisfied... 

The place was small, petite, cute and clean. We felt like real teenagers. :)